Aspirin
The Bottom Line
Paramedics can recognize ECG criteria for myocardial infarction.
On-scene time is not lengthened by the use of the twelve lead ECG.
Research compared the pECG from EMS to the Emergency Department ECG with interesting results
25% of pECG had changes that the hospital based ECG did not have
Possible changes in ED management from the prehospital 12-lead [27]
Prehospital 12-leads continue to help get the right patients to the right hospital in a timely fashion
This study was conducted over 24 months
Any patients diagnosed with a STEMI by a trained paramedic were included
The first part of the study had all patients brought to a ED with PCI (Percutaneous Cornoary Intervention) capabilities
The second part of the study had paramedics activated the STEMI bypass protocol and they would transport the patient directly to the Cath lab
Time to balloon (PCI) decreased significantly [28]
